Monticello school board member Jo-Ann Peabody recently moved to North Carolina -- but she wasn't about to let that stop her from serving on the board. Until the Times Herald-Record came calling, that is.
Jo-Ann Peabody released a statement by email late Thursday that she was leaving her school board seat, but only after she was contacted by a Times Herald-Record reporter asking for clarification on her residency. Peabody moved to Wake County, N.C., and enrolled her two sons in the school district there several weeks ago. She planned to stay on the board.
Shortly after the call, Peabody emailed a statement, saying she was resigning with “great sadness.”
“Because my family situation has dramatically changed and 2 of my children are now enrolled in school in another state, I will now be traveling back and forth between Sullivan County and North Carolina on a regular basis,” she said. “Not withstanding this, I fully intend to continue to run my business in Sullivan County and maintain all of the many relationships and significant and longstanding ties to our school district’s community. I do not believe I can dedicate the necessary time and energy required to the do the work of an engaged, full-time Board of Education member.”
